A number of times in the last couple of days I have tried to use various bookmarks which point to various fandom index pages only to see the indexes were empty. I checked FictionPress's blog, Twitter feed and their main page, but there is no mention.
Any ideas?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/10 ... s_aged_68/]Susan Sheridan, original voice of Trillian from HHGTTG, has died.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

I was playing with Daz Studio, seeing what I could so, and came up with this young lady:

[img]http://web.ncf.ca/fm536/renders/fen-elf">

The slim limbs, pointed ears, and anime-style eyes indicate she's an elf. The shoes (all I had that would fit those "thin feet" morphs) hint she's not from a fantasy world. So... she's biomodded. I'm thinking the eyes allow her to see a full octave of "normal" and UV light, while the slimness of the limbs makes finding a form-fitting spacesuit "off the rack" difficult to impossible. And that's as far as I've got.

Does anybody need an elf in their supporting cast? If yes, here's one. If no, let's come up with a background for her together...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-24 ... -1.3181983

Useful in any election, not just the two going on at the moment in North America.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Well, maybe not, because it already has a name...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/venom-frogs-1.3182922]Brazilian scientist discovers venomous frog - the hard way
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Since the writ has been dropped and we're now into an incredibly long (for Canadian politics) 78-day election campaign, I thought a thread would be appropriate.

Quoting from http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/federal ... -1.3178991

Quote:Our job is to listen carefully to what the candidates say, subtract the cartoon sound bites and decide which leader and which party are most likely to negotiate a deal that is in Canada's best interests. And on this issue, that is how we should vote.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technolog ... ar-BBlnzSm
Why does the phrase "Thunderbirds are go!" keeps springing in my head?
__________________
Into terror!,  Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell

JULY 17, 2015
SERENITY VALLEY, GANYMEDE
Standing a safe distance away from Void Eagle, Chris watched in mild amusement as the two plumbers worked on the opened underside of his ship. Several pipes were open and dripping liquids he really didn’t want to try and identify into the buckets and across a plastic sheet, while the catgirl of the pair had her arm in one of the pipes up to her bicep. “And… got it!” she declared, pulling her arm out. Taking a rag from her coverall pocket, she wiped at the item in her hands, then raised an eyebrow. “So, yeah, I’d say I found the problem,” she called out to Chris.
Curious, he walked over, and she held out her hand to show a half-destroyed doll of some sort. He considered it for a minute, then groaned slightly, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Two weeks back, moved a family to Coruscant. When we unloaded, their daughter was screaming bloody murder about one of her dolls going missing. Her dad and I damn near tore the ship apart trying to find the thing.”
Pausing in sealing up another pipe, the other plumber, who looked like Nightcrawler if he’d gotten a bit old and out of shape, winced in sympathy. “Lemme guess, she had a brother?”
Nodding, Chris rolled his eyes. “And he was an annoying little shit the whole flight. Little bastard must have shoved it down the toilet.”
“Well, points for effort,” the catgirl commented, dropping it in a bucket. “Looks like it kept getting moved around for a while at least, then got jammed and turned into a blockage.” Wiping the slime off her arm, she shrugged slightly. “Still, could be worse. At least it’s still just a doll,” she added with a shudder.
Matching her shudder, Chris gave her a horrified look. “Oh thank you Jules, I really needed that mental image.”
“I live to serve,” Julian ‘Jules’ Friez replied dryly. “Still, wasn’t much chance of that happening here.”
“I have to say Chris,” the other Julian commented, “I rather like your setup here. It actually makes complete sense. You don’t see that as much as I’d like.”
Shrugging, Chris handed Jules another rag as it became clear the first one simply wasn’t going to be enough. “There are some places where the Weird that is handwavium certainly isn’t welcome. And call me old-fashioned, but I think my toilet’s one such place.”
Jules laughed, wiping her hands relatively clean and dropping the rag in the bucket. “What a wonderful concept. I wish more people lived by it.” Snorting, she grabbed her water bottle. “But they don’t. And then things get annoying.”
“And then we’re the ones that have to deal with it,” Julian finished with a scowl, finishing his work on the current pipe. Dropping the tape back in the toolbox, he took another look at the ships plumbing. “You said you’re still happy with the water recycling, right?”
“Takes about a month before it’s noticeable to the point of changing the filters,” the captain replied, suppressing a smile. Constant of the universe. Present a Friez with a plumbing problem, they’d end up working out improvements somewhere. It was one of the ways they kept their grip on reality.
Rubbing at his chin thoughtfully, Julian considered the pipes above him. “I think I could improve it a little. Waste filtration looks alright, but it should be possible to keep more water cycling through.”
“Ohhh, I think I see where you’re going with that,” Jules said, ears perking up. “Although we’ll need to keep it from going stale faster. I’ve got an idea for that.”
Chris stepped back and let the two Friez debate their plans for several minutes, waiting patiently. Eventually, the pairs debate became even more excitable, the catgirl in particular gesturing wildly, and he clapped his hand to get their attention. “Okay, that’s enough. I’m pretty sure you’re not going to be able to get this done today, and I do have a schedule to keep.” Jules nodded reluctantly, and he grinned. “So, write up a quote and email it to me. I’ll look it over and give you an answer.”
Jules grinned. “Aye-Aye Captain!” she declared, mock saluting. Chris smiled at her enthusiasm, then pointed at the mess on the deck plates. “Oh, right. Fair point.” Nearly purring, she turned her attention back to her work.
Chuckling, Chris stepped back, checking to make sure he hadn’t gotten anything on him, then jumped slightly as his phone chirped for attention, a sharp urgent beep that was the ringtone for his daughters emergency code. Pulling it out of his pocket, he held it in front of him and tapped the answer key, Kitbash’s holographic avatar appearing in the air above it. “What’s the problem?” he asked quietly. Over by the ship, both Friez hesitated slightly, then tried their best not to look over at where the AI was manifesting. They tried to be polite, they honestly liked the girl, but like so many of their kin, they just couldn’t quite process concepts like AIs.
Kitbash kept her voice low, and Chris instantly got the impression that this time, it wasn’t to try and make things easier on on his friends. “Dad, I just got a warning ping from ATC. We’ve got a ship coming in, it just charged right on through the flight lanes and demanded a hanger.” Her fathers eyebrows rose as he imagined what the Browncoat militia must be doing right now. Who the hell would be so arrogantly stupid to act like that, here of all places… His eyes widened and he paled slightly as he made the connection. “It’s the Sol Bianca,” Kitbash confirmed. “I’m asking around, but no one can think of any solid reason for him to be here except-”
There was a crash, and both Chris and his daughter spun towards the ship. The bucket Jules had been holding had spilt across the decking, and the tiny catgirl was almost shrinking in on herself in terror, ears and tail tucked in tight. Julian clearly lacked his ‘sisters’ hearing, and was stepping towards her in confusion and concern, placing a gentle hand on her arm. “Jules, what’s the-”
“The Professor’s coming here!” she whimpered, not noticing as Julian flinched back in horror. “He’s coming here and he’s coming for us and he’s coming for me oh God it’s happening again please no don’t let it happen again please this is all I have left please-” She bit back a shriek of terror as a hand touched her shoulder, and she spun to see Chris standing there, concern on his face.
“He’s not here yet,” he said gently, voice low. “We don’t know he’s coming for you-”
“Don’t you get it?!” she demanded, tears starting to run down her face. “He took us because he couldn’t find a ‘Julienne Friez!’ Well,” she gestured at her petite form, “here’s one for him! He’s heard about me, and it’s going to start all. Over. AGAIN!” The last word came out in a ear-breaking, broken wail, and she slumped against the man, sobbing.
“We have to hide,” Julian said desperately, getting his balance back. “Not our quarters. Too many of us take the obvious hiding place. Somewhere under the dome he can’t reach, maybe in the maintenance tunnels…”
Looking down at the sobbing girl in his arms, Chris scowled. “No, if you do that, he’ll just start cutting his way in. He’s done it before on things that gained his attention. Both of you,” he ordered, voice cutting through Jule’s crying, “seal those pipes up and get that plating back on. Kit, as soon as they’re done, I want you to start preflight checks.”
“Preflight…?” Jules whispered, looking up at him.
“If it comes to it,” Chris told her gently, “I’m getting both of you out of here. TeeSeven, get my guns and get down here!” he yelled. Pushing Jules back away from him, he turned and ran for the door. “Now get to work! I need the Void Eagle ready to run!”

I'm going on another vacation starting tomorrow -- to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where we'll be sharing our timeshare with Kat, Joe, Scott and Nina.  I'll have my tablet with me and I believe the resort has wifi, so I won't be vanishing on you all for a week and a half. 
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.